While millions go to bed hungry, 1.3 billion tonnes of food, or roughly one-third of all food produced globally, is wasted every year, according to the UN’s food agency, the World Food Programme (WFP).

Annually, that’s about 170kg of food thrown away per person — enough to feed the world’s hungry several times over.

Food loss is largely driven by poor storage and transport, causing large amounts to spoil before it reaches shelves, while overbuying and high consumption fuel waste at the consumer level.

Meanwhile, data from 2024 showed that over 295 million people across 53 countries and regions faced various levels of acute hunger that year, with children among the most vulnerable. 

According to WFP figures, around 43 million children are facing severe hunger worldwide and more than three million children die each year from hunger-related causes.

Here’s a look at which countries are generating the most food waste.